Lessons from the International Socialists' 'Rank-and-File Strategy'

A new book explores the history of the IS group's efforts to bridge the gap between campus radicals and the working class.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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A new book edited by Andrew Stone Higgins, "From the Free Speech Movement to the Factory Floor: A Collective History of the International Socialists", examines the 'rank-and-file strategy' pursued by the International Socialists (IS) group in the 1970s. The book features first-hand accounts from former IS members like Candace Cohn, Gay Semel, and Wendy Thompson, who left student activism or white-collar jobs to become embedded in industries like steel, telecommunications, and auto manufacturing. While the IS ultimately failed to create an organizational culture that was fully welcoming to diverse working-class recruits, the book highlights the group's efforts to build broad-based, multi-tendency rank-and-file movements through projects like Labor Notes.

Why it matters

The history of the International Socialists' 'rank-and-file strategy' offers lessons for contemporary socialists, including members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who are grappling with how best to relate to the labor movement. The book's contributors provide insights into the challenges and successes of attempting to bridge the gap between campus-based activism and working-class organizing.

The details

The International Socialists (IS) was founded in 1969 by veterans of the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley and other Sixties activists. In the 1970s, the group made a concerted effort to 'bridge the gap between a left disproportionately formed on college campuses and the working class.' This involved some members leaving student life or white-collar jobs to become embedded in industries like steel, telecommunications, and auto manufacturing. Contributors like Candace Cohn, Gay Semel, and Wendy Thompson recount their experiences fighting discrimination and building relationships with co-workers as they tried to organize on the shop floor. However, the IS ultimately struggled to create an organizational culture that was fully welcoming to diverse working-class recruits, with only about one-fifth of the group's peak membership coming from the working class. Internal feuding also disrupted the group's labor work, leading to a split in 1976-77.

  • In the 1970s, the International Socialists made a concerted effort to 'bridge the gap between a left disproportionately formed on college campuses and the working class'.
  • In 1976-77, the IS split into three factions: several hundred loyalists, fifty who formed a group called Workers Power, and one hundred who created the International Socialist Organization (ISO).

The players

Andrew Stone Higgins

The editor of the book "From the Free Speech Movement to the Factory Floor: A Collective History of the International Socialists".

Candace Cohn

A former member of the International Socialists who left student activism at the University of Michigan to work in the steel industry, where she faced sexual harassment and helped organize workers.

Gay Semel

A former member of the International Socialists who worked as a telephone operator in New York City and was expelled from the company union, later becoming a lawyer who worked for the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union.

Wendy Thompson

A former member of the International Socialists who worked for 33 years at a General Motors plant, battling sexism and the dominant influence of the Administration Caucus in the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.

Dan LaBotz

A former supporter of the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) who is now a Brooklyn DSA member and co-editor of New Politics.

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What they’re saying

“The lessons of the International Socialists can help point us in the right direction by sharing what has worked and what has failed in past decades”

— Andrew Stone Higgins (againstthecurrent.org)

“one of the principal reasons for the IS split was differences over the labor work, which some members argued was 'making the group more conservative'.”

— Dan LaBotz, Brooklyn DSA member and co-editor of New Politics (againstthecurrent.org)

“the IS clearly rejected the model that many socialist groups had of maintaining their front groups rightly under their control. Originally staffed by IS members, Labor Notes became a project where workers would feel they were in a comfortable milieu but also a pond where socialists could swim.”

— Wendy Thompson, Former GM worker and International Socialists member (againstthecurrent.org)

What’s next

The June 2026 Labor Notes conference, which draws thousands of rank-and-file labor activists, will provide an opportunity for socialists to continue learning from the history and lessons of the International Socialists' 'rank-and-file strategy'.

The takeaway

The history of the International Socialists' efforts to bridge the gap between campus-based activism and working-class organizing offers valuable insights for contemporary socialists, including DSA members, who are grappling with how to effectively engage with and support the labor movement. The book highlights the importance of building broad-based, multi-tendency movements and the challenges of creating an organizational culture that is truly welcoming to diverse working-class recruits.